The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-10-13
A FUNNY DISCOVERY,
Part OF the PreSidsnrs Ohicaso Speecl Su
rraHHeI-I n m Non,yx ~, rnyu......

| Fart OF the presilenps chicago Spee cls Sun.
prsssed-Lamonts Carelessness.
NEW YoRK, Oct. 12.-The New York
Sun Is bringing to light something abou,
Mr.. Clsveland's Chicago speech that ia
very funny. 1t publishes the following
The Ohlcsgo speech was not delivered
aa it waa written in Washington. as 1t wae
put in type st the Government Printing
Office, as 1t was distributed to the news.
papers Of the United States through the
agent Of the Associated Press and ae it was
printed everywhere except Chicsgo.
As telegrsphed from Chicago and a.
published in the journals of New York,
Philadelphia, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louie.
vile, Kansas City and elsewhere through
cut the Union, Mr.. Olevelaud's speech in
response to Mayor Rochs's enthusiastic
address Of welcome contained the lfollcw-
ing instructive passage: @ @s
"Iour population in 1887, when Chicago
was Incorporated a city, was 1000. The
number Of it's inhabitants in 1871 was
800. 900 or upwards, and the valuation OF
it's property probably S250,OOO,0OO. lis
immense growth and volume Of business
had then made it marvel among modern
cities. At thi1 time it was visited ty a
direiul calamity without parallel in extent
and destruction, which threatened all its
promise Of greatness and apparently ended
its career. In October Of that year a fire
occurred which burned over an era within
the city OF 2.100 acres, killed 200 persons.
consumed 10000 buildings, made home.
less lG0. GOO people, and destroyed pro perty
Of the value Of s2OO,OOO,O0O."
The American Cyclopedia afforded the
basls tor these statements in the passsQes
here subjoined:
"Ohlcago was frat incorporated ss a city
March 4, 1887 .......The frat census wae
taken July !, 1887, when the city contain
ed q population Of 4.l70..,.,, Population,
as reportod by the Federal Census, 1870
29S. .07 "....". Total valuation OF real and
peraonal property in the city, for the pur-
pose Of taxation, in 1871, $s40, ,746, 40
....".. In October, 1871, Chicago was the
scene Of one Of the most destructive con.
tlagrstionB OF modern timee .. ..,,,. The total
area burned over, including Streets, was
=, 1C0 screa........ Number OF buildinoa d.
stroyed, Il ,45O..... Persons killed, about
20U..."... Persons rendered homelees, o..
5O0".."..T The grand total Of pecu niary
damage hes been estimated at over 5000.
100000" @ .aa II"
sS NEWSPAPERS "scoorRD."
Such was the valuable character al h;s.
torical and statistical in!ormstion nrenar.
cd by Mr.. Cleveland for the Information
of the inhabitants Of Ohicsgo, and by him
actually communicated to the press in
advance as an accurate report OF hin Of.
hand speech. But the passage was suD.
pressed. It was not delivered in Chiceyo.
Between the time when Colonel Lamont
delivered the printed copy of the i'm.
promptu speech to the agent Of the Asao.
clated Press and the actual delivery of tha
impromp.u speech by Mr.. Cleveland
news he'd reached tha PRESIDENT chat tha
source OF his Indianapolis effort had beon
discovered and that the whole country
was laughing at him. He hastened to
throw the Cyclopedia overheard. ~ The
historical and statistical passage was
omitted in delivery, but by unsccounta.
bic careleasnes on the part Of Colonel L.
mont the representatives oi tho press were
not notified Of the change. Tho speech
went ont to the country as 1t had been
originally composed ut Washington In a
night OF hard work over the fourth vol.
ume Of the American Cyclopedia; and
tho only true reports OF what Mr.. Olevn.
land really said III response to bIayor
Roche's welcome were published by two
or three Chicago Journals which did not
depend on the printed slips from tha
Government Printing Office, but eent
shorthand writer's to take down his
words. Gin. -
The suppressed nassage contained the
astounding, b!under Into which IIr. lIIsva.
land waa led by his own unintclligent mac
oi the Oyelopedia's iaota. he found fouu 9'a .
table Of assessed valuations In the Cyclo.
[pedia's article on Chicago, and thereupon
hastily assumed that the lcss by the great
fro was tiye.asvenths OF the entire pro.
psyty Of the city, instead Of less than one.
third, nn q more careful examination Of
his source OF information would have
shown him. It was lucky for MI. Cleva.
land that the Sun Of last Monday reachsd
him before the Chicago address WAS de-.
| liysIed. Otherwiget he would have i'm:
parted to the people Of that town in his
solemnly ozacular way a grotesuua bit Of
m!aini formation which would have csuaed
ssver7 intelligent, ,citisen to eniekei yight
l. out In meeting. y !'T 4 81 'is'3 : !
8Ws shall, therefore, beg leave to With.
draw our conclusion that the President In
not sufficiently sensitive to public ridicule
to diecard his .Cyclopsdia speeches, now
that their origin ia generally known, !. a
good deal OF arduous midnight labor goes
for naught, but such Is tho reward Of p,e.
concerted humbux. Mr.. Cleveland has
learned q lesson which he Is not likely 10
| forget. .i5i-' g?. .a,",
e y filI+As ss'ttl / ~! u ~ r. n r ~